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CANADA - Canada Pork International is confident creating a pork quality based grading system, modeled after what is already in place in the beef industry, will give Canadian pork an edge in the international market, writes Bruce Cochrane.

Canada Pork International, in partnership with Swine Innovation Porc, is working on the development of new tools designed to improve Canada's competitiveness in the global pork market.

Michael Young, the Vice President Technical Programs and Marketing Services with Canada Pork International, says a strategic planning session for the development of a pork quality based grading system was completed in January and the next step is to determine what such a system could look like.

Michael Young-Canada Pork International:

Back in 2012 we created the Canadian Pork Quality Standard so that was the first tool we created.

We all agreed on the color standards and our standards for color and then marbling ranges and fat color ranges.

We've had that tool since 2012 and the packers use that now to select the right product for the right market.

The next level would be to actually develop a grading system.

We want to create an actual pork grading system that will give Canada the edge as an innovator and allow us to select the absolute best product for the right market.

There is no meat quality based grading system that I'm aware of in the world now.

Most grading systems that are out there are based on lean meat, basically the meat to bone ratio and lean meat.

This would allow Canada, number one, to be first with a meat quality based selection system so we would be the first to have this and it would allow us to reduce inconsistencies in product quality and again get the right products to the right market.

That's critical for supplying. The consistency of the quality is critical for our end user partners.

Mr Young acknowledges the idea is still in its infancy but there is interest in the concept.